Category: Geography

(I am doing some very seasonal work and the end of the season has come. I take the opportunity to follow a life-long dream and head to Northern Australia to Jackaroo on a cattle station. I end up on a family run property and do everything with the family, which wears a bit thin on me. Fairly early on Boss’s Daughter made the throwaway comment “The boss is always right” which irked me at the time. Boss, Boss’s Son and Regular Casual are working in the cattle yards. Boss is heading out there and I am to go with her to bring a truck back to the house. I travel this road daily as a part of my work on the place. Boss hadn’t been this way for over a week and Regular Casual had been over some of the roads with the grader.)

Me: “Um, [Boss Lady], you missed the turn off to the yards.”

Boss Lady: “No, I didn’t.”

Me: “[Regular Casual] ran over some of the roads with the grader the other day. This is the track out to [completely different paddock].”

Boss Lady:*standing on the brakes, face turned red with anger* “[My Name], I have lived here for 35 years! I know this place like the back of my hand, I know where I’m going, and I don’t need you to tell me how to get around my own home!”

Me: “Sorry.”

(She then continued driving for another two or three minutes and when she started to drive into scrub and found a gate she shouldn’t have she sheepishly turned around and took the turn off she should have in the first place. This sort of thing happened a number of times with various members of the family. Sometimes I got the win; sometimes I was berated for opening my mouth. I finished the traineeship I was on and left. I was glad I did it but their attitude stunk.)

(I’m a Canadian currently living in Sweden. I had to purchase health care, but my bank flagged it as fraud. This resulted in me needing to call my bank at their 24/7 international number in Canada to unfreeze my account.)

Employee: “Hello, you’ve reached [Employee] with [Bank]. How may I help you?”

Me: “Hi, I’m calling because when I tried to purchase health care from [Company], you guys accidentally flagged my card.”

Employee: “I’m so sorry about that. Let’s get it fixed for you right away. First, I just need to ask you some security questions, all right? When is your birthday?”

Me: “My birthday is [Date].”

Employee: “Great! And what are some of the most recent transactions on your card?”

Me: “I spent [amount] on [Date] and [amount] on [Date]; both of them were at [Store].”

Employee: “Fantastic. And finally, what country are you currently residing in?”

Me: “Sweden. I’ve been here for two years now.”

Employee: “Oh, I’m sorry, that’s not what we have listed here. According to us, you’ve been living in Brazil.”

Me: “Brazil? I travelled there 2.5 years ago, but only for two weeks. I’ve been living in Sweden since [Date]. I called three times before I moved to ensure there was a note on my account saying I moved internationally and to give you guys my new address.”

Employee: “Umm… no. According to us you’re living in Brazil.”

Me: “Ma’am, I can assure you I’m not and never have lived in Brazil. I think someone got mixed up when I called to inform you of my travel plans a couple years ago, and it didn’t get changed when I called about moving.”

Employee: “Okay… Well, since you didn’t answer correctly I’m afraid I won’t be able to unlock your card. You answered everything else correctly, but you’re not living where we have you marked down, so I can’t be sure you’re who you say you are. That’s not my problem so you’ll have to deal with it yourself.”

Me: “What?! Are you serious? I need my card! That’s the only card I have that’s free to use here! I’ve been using it here in Sweden for two years now and it’s never been a problem. If I’ve been living in Brazil then why have you approved all these charges coming from Sweden?! It’s not my fault someone didn’t listen to me when I called before I moved!”

Employee: “Well, that’s not my problem! Figure it out yourself. It’s not my fault you’re not living in Brazil!”

Me:*taking a deep breath, trying to calm down* “Okay, what do I need to do to unlock my card?”

Employee: “You need to make an appointment at your [Bank] branch in [Town].”

Me: “But I’m in Sweden. I can’t do that and I need my card. If I don’t have my card I can’t buy food or pay rent. I’ll answer any other questions, or list off all my transactions for the last month. Please, I really need my card!”

Employee: “That’s not my problem! You need to make an appointment, so I guess you better fly over to Canada.”

Me: “And how am I supposed to pay for a plane ticket without a functioning card?”

Employee: “I… umm…. THAT’S NOT MY F****** PROBLEM!” *hangs up*

(I called my mum over in Canada where it was then three am. She ended up calling their national 24/7 number and was able to get the number of a manager for me to directly call. Thankfully he was incredibly apologetic, and furious at the employee. My card was fixed and he even gave me $50 worth of bonus rewards points! And since then I’ve signed up with another bank to ensure that if this does happen again, I’ve got a back up.)

(I am moving cross country by myself with all of my belongings in a little pickup truck. Note that I’m female, in my early 20s, and look like I’m 14. After a long day of driving, I pull into the first hotel I see that looks like it is in my budget.)

Me: “Hi, I’d like a room for tonight?”

Worker: “Okay, I need your ID and a credit card to put you in the system.”

Me: “Sounds good.”

(I handed over my driver license and credit card. The worker stares at my ID for a moment and says:)

Worker: “Utah? Where is Utah?”

Me: “It’s a state? Further west of here?”

Worker: “I’ve never heard of Utah before.”

Me: “I promise you, it’s a state in the USA and that’s a real driver license.”

(He takes my ID and credit card to a back room where I see him talk frantically to another employee for about five minutes. I am exhausted, so I lean against the counter and wait.)

(I left the hotel and went to another place down the road. The worker at that desk knew where Utah was, saw how tired I was, heard my story, and reserved me a room. He then told me that he wouldn’t let me check in until I took a coupon from their lobby, got myself a hot meal (using the coupon), and gave me a killer discount! A few days later, after settling into my new home, I checked my bank account. The first hotel had charged me as a “no call, no show“ and their corporate office refused to believe that I had shown up and been turned away. It took a lot of arguing to get them to refund me the money for that night.)